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Through our Leadership Experience Admission Deferral (LEAD) fellowship program, Columbia Law School seeks to admit and support self-starting undergraduate students who plan to launch meaningful ventures in the public or private spheres prior to entering law school, helping them enter a supportive community of future lawyers and leaders.
The first step in the program is to apply to Columbia Law School during the spring of your junior or senior year. Then, successful applicants will take a two-year deferral period following their undergraduate studies to develop their leadership skills. Afterwards, they will matriculate to Columbia Law School after their two-year deferral period.
Applicants should be interested in pursuing a JD degree at Columbia Law School and also aspire to develop their leadership skills through a project, academic pursuit, employment, volunteer opportunity, or other venture during a mandatory two-year gap period between completing undergraduate studies and beginning study at Columbia. In addition, successful applicants may be awarded a funding grant of up to $10,000 to enable them to finance and pursue a proposed project, venture, or activity of their own during the two-year deferral period.
Application Open Date: April 15, 2025
Application Deadline: June 15, 2025